Shopify Payments fees by plan (2.9% + 30¢ and down), setup steps, the third-party gateway surcharge, chargebacks, and how it compares to Stripe and PayPal.
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Key Insights in 60 Seconds
Everything you need to know about Shopify Payments — fees, risks, and alternatives at a glance.
Shopify Payments is the default gateway — cards, wallets, and local methods in one account, no extra gateway needed.
Rate drops as you grow — Basic starts at 2.9% + 30¢ (US); Grow and Advanced plans lower the percentage.
Shop Pay lifts conversion up to 50% vs guest checkout — the single biggest revenue lever.
Multiple currencies and local methods — Markets handles selling globally without separate processors.
Payout timing is regional — Shopify quotes 3–5 business days in the US; daily, weekly, or monthly schedules.
What You'll Learn
1What Shopify Payments is and how it works
2Complete fee structure for every plan
3Shopify Payments vs Stripe vs PayPal
4Which countries are supported (and alternatives)
5Prohibited products and suspension risks
6Strategies to minimize processing costs
What's New Since Publication: Updated since publication · 4 changes
Shopify removed the support-review route to Stripe after a Terms of Service violation
Shopify's payment gateway availability page, read on July 23, 2026, said a merchant in a Shopify Payments supported country who was in violation of the Shopify Payments Terms of Service could contact Shopify Support to have their eligibility for Stripe reviewed. The same page, read on September 16, 2026, no longer carries that sentence: it now says that if you're in a Shopify Payments region and can't activate Shopify Payments, standalone Stripe isn't available as an alternative.
Plus third-party-fee waiver now requires Shopify Payments as the sole provider
Archived copies of Shopify's Shopify Payments overview page show the wording changed between May 5 and August 16, 2026. It used to waive transaction fees for all other payment methods on Plus stores using Shopify Payments as their primary gateway; it now waives third-party transaction fees for Plus stores that use Shopify Payments as their sole payment provider, and says transaction fees apply if you use Shopify Payments alongside a third-party provider. Shopify's third-party providers page says the Plus waiver might apply when you activate Shopify Payments, depending on your location.
Shopify's US payout window is now 3–5 business days
Shopify rewrote its US Shopify Payments payouts page: payouts now typically arrive within 3 to 5 business days after a customer's payment is captured, and the same page puts the US minimum settlement time at 3 business days. We last read the old 2–5 wording live on August 10, 2026, and the new wording on September 10 and September 16, 2026.
Shopify's pricing page now prints Plus card rates as numbers
An archived copy of Shopify's US pricing page from September 14, 2026 still read "Most competitive rates" in the Plus column's online card-rate rows; the copy from September 15, 2026 prints numbers there. Read live on September 16, 2026, the Plus column lists 2.25% + 30¢ for online standard cards, 2.95% + 30¢ for online premium cards and 2.3% + 10¢ for in-person cards — the Plus in-person cell in the fee table below now shows that number.
Shopify Payments is Shopify's native payment processing solution — a fully integrated gateway that lets you accept credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets without setting up a separate payment provider. Shopify names Stripe as Shopify Payments' banking partner, and its help center names Stripe, PayPal and Adyen among the processors behind Shopify Payments, depending on your region. Where Shopify Payments is supported, you can't connect a Stripe account you already run elsewhere, though — our FAQ on whether Shopify uses Stripe unpacks exactly how the two relate.
The biggest advantage? No third-party transaction fees. When you use any external payment gateway on Shopify (Stripe directly, Authorize.net, etc.), Shopify charges an additional0.2%–2% surcharge on every transaction — on top of whatever the gateway itself charges. Shopify Payments is the only way to avoid this penalty. Stores created on or after May 12, 2025 still pay it on the store-credit and gift-card part of an order.
“When you use Shopify Payments, you aren't charged third-party transaction fees for orders that are processed through Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, Shop Pay Installments, and Paypal Express, and you aren't charged transaction fees on manual payment methods such as cash, cash on delivery (COD), and bank transfers.”
That COD line item is a manual payment method, not a Shopify Payments feature — it ships the order unpaid and leaves collection to you at the door. Our FAQ on whether Shopify supports cash on delivery covers the setup toggle, the surcharge/OTP apps merchants add on top, and where COD fits alongside the gateway you pick here.
Accept all major credit and debit cards without separate merchant accounts. Includes JCB, Diners Club, and Eftpos (Australia).
Digital Wallets
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay
Support Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay — Shopify's accelerated checkout that boosts conversion by up to 50%.
PCI DSS Level 1
Highest security certification
Fully PCI DSS Level 1 compliant. All card data encrypted and tokenized. That certification covers Shopify's environment; validating your own store to your acquirer is separate.
Automatic Payouts
Daily, weekly, or monthly
Funds deposited to your bank on a schedule you choose. Shopify quotes US payouts at 3–5 business days from when a payment is captured.
Fraud Analysis
Built-in risk indicators
Every transaction includes fraud analysis indicators — IP address checks, AVS, CVV verification, and machine learning risk scoring.
Unified Reporting
Payments inside your admin
All payment data, payouts, and fees visible directly in your Shopify admin. No switching between dashboards or platforms.
Where that split actually lands — which document an acquirer asks a Shopify merchant for, who issues it, and what changes it — is the subject of our guide to which parts of PCI compliance are yours on Shopify.
Shopify Payments also tokenizes saved cards for recurring billing — the engine behind recurring payments on Shopify, which run through subscription apps whose fees and churn tools vary, as our subscription apps comparison lays out.
How a Transaction Flows
Key takeaway
When a customer enters their card details at checkout, Shopify Payments handles the entire payment flow — from card authorization to payout:
1
Customer Checks Out
Customer enters card details or taps Apple Pay/Google Pay/Shop Pay at your Shopify checkout. Card data is encrypted instantly.
2
Authorization & Fraud Check
The card network (Visa/Mastercard) authorizes the charge. Shopify runs automated fraud analysis — AVS, CVV, IP geolocation, and ML-based risk scoring.
3
Order Confirmed
If approved, the order is created in your Shopify admin. The customer receives an order confirmation email. The charge is placed as 'pending' in your Payments section.
4
Settlement
Shopify settles the transaction with the card network. Processing fees (e.g., 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic) are deducted automatically from the transaction amount.
5
Payout to Your Bank
Net funds are deposited to your connected bank account on your chosen schedule. US: 3–5 business days from capture, per Shopify. UK/Canada: 3 business days minimum settlement, plus bank posting time.
Selling in the US and want the settlement-versus-bank-arrival breakdown? See our FAQ on how long Shopify takes to pay you. For the whole payout side of the account — choosing a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, what the pending balance means, and the cash-flow gap the first payouts open — see our guide to how Shopify pays you. Running tills abroad? Our FAQ covers what currency Shopify POS charges in across retail markets — it follows the business entity, not the retail market.
Shop Pay: Shopify's secret weapon
Shop Pay is Shopify's accelerated checkout that saves customer shipping and payment information for one-tap purchasing. It's free to use and enabled automatically with Shopify Payments — one of the strongest reasons to use the built-in processor over alternatives.
“Shop Pay is an accelerated checkout option designed to enhance the shopping experience for customers on your Shopify store and on Shop. It allows customers to save their email address, payment method, and shipping and billing information, making the checkout process faster and more convenient.”
One clarification the quote hints at: Shop Pay also works on Shop, Shopify's consumer shopping app — a separate product from the platform you sell on. Our guide on Shopify versus the Shop app untangles the two.
Shop Pay Installments is the other half of that name and a separate decision: it is the pay-over-time option quoted above as exempt from third-party transaction fees, and it carries its own merchant fee rather than your card rate. If you are weighing it against the providers merchants usually shortlist next to it, our comparison of Shop Pay Installments versus Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm puts the costs and the eligibility rules side by side.
Complete Shopify Payments Fee Structure (2026)
Key takeaway
Shopify Payments fees are determined by your Shopify plan. Higher plans = lower card processing rates. None of this is a percentage-based commission on your revenue the way a marketplace charges — our FAQ on whether Shopify takes a cut of your sales breaks down exactly what you pay and why.
International cards can double your effective rate
A US-based store on the Basic plan processing a card from a European customer with currency conversion pays: 2.9% + 30¢ (base) + 1% (international) + 1.5% (conversion) = 5.4% + 30¢ per transaction. On a $100 order, that's $5.70 in fees — nearly double the domestic rate. If you sell internationally, factor this into your pricing strategy or use Shopify Markets to manage local pricing.
One more change worth noting: since April 6, 2026, Shopify calculates the currency conversion fee directly on the gross order amount — without first deducting Shopify Payments fees, as it previously did. In practice, the effective conversion charge now equals the nominal rate (1.5% for US stores, 2% in other regions) rather than a slightly smaller figure netted against fees first.
Enter your monthly metrics to see effective Shopify Payments rates across all plans — including international card surcharges.
Check if international customers pay in their local currency
BasicBest
$360
processing fees/mo
Base rate2.9% + 30¢
Effective rate (% of revenue)3.60%
Plan fee$39/mo
Total cost$399/mo
Grow
$340
processing fees/mo
Base rate2.7% + 30¢
Effective rate (% of revenue)3.40%
Plan fee$105/mo
Total cost$445/mo
Advanced
$320
processing fees/mo
Base rate2.5% + 30¢
Effective rate (% of revenue)3.20%
Plan fee$399/mo
Total cost$719/mo
Plus
$295
processing fees/mo
Base rate2.25% + 30¢
Effective rate (% of revenue)2.95%
Plan fee$2300/mo
Total cost$2,595/mo
* Estimates based on Shopify Payments US online rates. In-person rates are lower on Basic, Grow and Advanced. Actual costs may vary. Does not include chargebacks or currency conversion fees beyond the % surcharge.
What If You Don't Use Shopify Payments?
Key takeaway
If you choose an external gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges a third-party transaction fee on every sale — in addition to the gateway's own processing fees. Review Shopify's third-party providers documentation for the full list of supported gateways. This guide covers the mechanics and setup of Shopify Payments itself — if you're weighing a specific external gateway against that surcharge, see our gateway comparison and third-party surcharge math for the region-by-region breakdown.
PayPal Express Checkout has a special arrangement with Shopify — it's treated as an additional payment method, not a third-party gateway. While Shopify Payments is active on your store, orders through it are not subject to the third-party transaction fee surcharge, and you only pay PayPal's own processing rates. Run PayPal or its Braintree gateway as a full card processor instead and standard third-party fees apply. This is why pairing Shopify Payments with PayPal Express is the most cost-effective dual-gateway setup. In the United States, a store using Shopify Payments can add PayPal only through Shopify Payments' PayPal Wallet.
“Stores on the Shopify Plus plan that use Shopify Payments as their sole payment provider have their third-party transaction fees waived. If you use Shopify Payments alongside a third-party provider, then transaction fees apply.”
Bottom line: Unless you're in a country where Shopify Payments isn't available, or you sell a product your payment processor won't handle, there's almost no financial reason to use an external gateway. To understand how payment fees fit into your total Shopify costs, see our Shopify Pricing Explained guide.
Shopify Payments vs Stripe vs PayPal: Which Should You Use?
Key takeaway
The three most common payment processors merchants weigh are Shopify Payments, Stripe, and PayPal. One caveat before the numbers: where Shopify Payments is available in your country, Shopify does not offer Stripe as a separate gateway you can switch on — so the Stripe column below reflects running Stripe directly on a custom-built or non-Shopify storefront, included purely as a cost benchmark. Here's how they compare:
For most Shopify merchants, the optimal payment configuration is: Shopify Payments as primary + PayPal Express as secondary (in the United States, a store on Shopify Payments adds PayPal only through Shopify Payments' PayPal Wallet). This gives you the lowest processing costs (no third-party surcharge) while offering customers a familiar alternative payment method. PayPal publishes no headline conversion-lift figure for merchants who add it, so treat any uplift as something to measure in your own checkout rather than a number to budget against.
If you're just getting started, our Shopify $1/month trial guide covers what to check in Settings → Plan before the first full-price bill.
Shopify Payments: Supported Countries (2026)
Key takeaway
Shopify Payments is not available globally. If your business is registered in an unsupported country, you'll need to use a third-party payment gateway (and pay the additional transaction fees). Here's the current list as reported by Shopify's official documentation:
Americas, Asia-Pacific & Middle East
United States
Canada
Mexico
Australia
New Zealand
Japan
Singapore
Hong Kong SAR
United Arab Emirates (early access — Advanced or Plus)
One entry on that list carries a plan floor the others do not: Shopify Payments in the United Arab Emirates is still in early access, and the Shopify requirements page for the UAE puts it on the Advanced or Plus plan. A UAE business on Basic or Grow is inside the country list but not inside the feature: Shopify says access on other plan types is limited, so budget for a third-party gateway and its transaction fee.
Not in a supported country?
If Shopify Payments isn't available in your region, you can still use Shopify — but you'll need a third-party gateway like PayPal, Stripe (if available in your country), or a local payment processor. Remember: this means paying the additional 0.2%–2% Shopify transaction fee on every order — the PayPal Express exemption above does not reach this case, because Shopify grants it only to stores that have Shopify Payments active. For merchants in unsupported regions, consider whether this cost impacts your decision — see our integration guide for alternative setups.
Prohibited & Restricted Products on Shopify Payments
Key takeaway
While Shopify as a platform allows a wide range of products, Shopify Payments has its own restrictions — separate from Shopify's general acceptable use policy. You can sell certain products on Shopify, but you may not be able to process payments for them through Shopify Payments.
The categories below are the ones payment processors most commonly prohibit or restrict — our own compilation, not a Shopify document. Shopify’s own Payments eligibility page names six high-level categories and calls that list non-exhaustive; the binding country list is your processor’s, and it can change without notice.
Prohibited Categories
CBD, cannabis, and drug paraphernalia
Firearms, ammunition, and weapons
Adult content and services
Gambling and betting services
Cryptocurrency and NFTs
Multi-level marketing (MLM)
Counterfeit or replica goods
High-Risk / Restricted
Supplements and nutraceuticals
Tobacco and vaping products
Alcohol (region-dependent)
Subscription boxes with variable contents
High-ticket luxury goods (high chargeback risk)
Dropshipping with long shipping times
Digital goods with high refund rates
The Shopify Payments Terms of Service name no categories themselves: they say the business types that count as Prohibited or Restricted "are provided by each Payment Processor in your designated country", on lists that are "meant to be representative but not exhaustive".
Which of the four rulebooks actually blocks a given product — the platform policy, Shopify Payments, a sales channel, or the Managed Markets list — is the subject of what you can't sell on Shopify. And once a business lands in that restricted tier, who reviews and approves it is a separate question the terms answer in their own words.
Suspension can happen without warning
Shopify's automated systems can flag and suspend your Shopify Payments account without prior notice if they detect policy violations. If suspended, your pending payouts can be held while the account is reviewed, and the Shopify Payments Terms set no time limit on that. Always review the Shopify Acceptable Use Policy and Shopify Payments' terms before launching your store.
“You can't use Shopify to do anything that's illegal where you do business. We understand laws and regulatory frameworks can be complex, but in choosing a market to enter and products to sell, you, the merchant, are making a commitment to take that market seriously, and we trust and expect you to understand applicable boundaries.”
Shopify Payments' headline rates (2.25%–2.9% + 30¢) don't tell the whole story. Here are the costs and risks most guides don't mention:
Chargeback Fees — $15 debited up front, returned only if you win
When a customer files a chargeback, the disputed amount plus a $15 fee from your account immediately. Win the dispute and both are returned; lose it and you forfeit both. So the fee is recoverable — the cash flow is not, because you carry the gap for months: you usually have 7–21 days to submit evidence via the chargeback response process, and the card company can take up to 75 days after that to decide.The count matters more than the fee, and Shopify and Visa do not scope those levels the same way. Shopify's monitoring-programs page lists a dispute-and-fraud ratio of 0.5% as non-compliant and 1.5% as excessive (2.2% in Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa) as thresholds for your own store's ratio, while Visa's own fact sheet for its Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) puts the 0.5% level on an acquirer's whole portfolio and the 1.5% level on an individual merchant in AP, Canada, the EU and the US — and only when that merchant also records at least 1,500 fraud and dispute cases in a month and the acquirer's own portfolio is not itself above standard. A store that stays enrolled in VAMP long-term can have its use of Shopify Payments restricted.That clock and that fee belong to the card rail. A PayPal Wallet dispute runs on its own timetable and its own venue — who owns that case, and where you answer it.From the buyer's side, though, a chargeback isn't a store-wide guarantee — our FAQ on whether Shopify offers buyer protection explains what actually protects a shopper when something goes wrong.
International Card Surcharge — +1% per transaction (+1.5% more with currency conversion)
Cards issued outside your country incur a +1% surcharge. If currency conversion is involved, add another +1.5% for US stores (2% in other Shopify Payments regions). For a US merchant selling to a UK customer paying in GBP, the effective rate on Basic becomes 5.4% + 30¢ instead of 2.9% + 30¢. That 2.9% base is the US figure — Shopify sets the standard rate per country as well as per plan. Use Shopify Markets to manage local pricing and reduce conversion fees.
Payout Holds — No published time limit
Shopify can place a hold on your payouts if they detect unusual activity, high chargeback rates, or policy violations. Shopify publishes no maximum length for a hold, and you cannot access the funds while one is in place. This can be devastating for small businesses relying on cash flow. New accounts and stores with sudden spikes in order volume are most at risk. Review Shopify's payout documentation for details.
Account Suspension — No independent processor fallback
If your Shopify Payments account is suspended, you're forced to use a third-party gateway — adding the 0.2%–2% Shopify surcharge to every transaction. Unlike running your own Stripe or PayPal account on a self-hosted or non-Shopify storefront, you have no portability: your payment history, saved customer cards, and payout schedule are tied to Shopify Payments exclusively.
Protect yourself: practical steps
Keep your dispute-and-fraud ratio below the 0.5% non-compliant threshold Shopify prints for your store, and note that Shopify says your store is evaluated against a higher standard than the thresholds the card networks publish
Enable order tracking and send automated shipping notifications
Maintain a cash reserve — don't rely on immediate payouts for operations
Review Shopify's AUP before adding new product categories
“If the cardholder's bank makes a chargeback, then the bank takes the disputed amount from you right away. The cardholder's bank also takes a chargeback fee from you. If the cardholder's bank makes an inquiry, then they don't take the disputed amount or a fee right away.”
Setting up Shopify Payments is one of the simplest onboarding processes in payment processing. Follow the official setup guide or use these steps:
1
Open Payment Settings
In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Payments. You'll see Shopify Payments as the recommended option at the top. Click "Activate Shopify Payments".
2
Enter Business Information
Provide your legal business name, address, business type, and EIN/tax ID number. In the US almost every business type requires an EIN — the exception is Individual, which uses your SSN or ITIN. Shopify reserves the Sole Proprietorship type for single-person businesses that already hold an EIN.
3
Add Banking Details
Enter your bank account and routing number for payouts. This must be a checking account in the same country as your Shopify store. Shopify Payments doesn't support savings accounts.
4
Verify Your Identity
Upload a government-issued ID (driver's license, passport) if prompted. This step helps prevent fraud and is required for PCI compliance.
5
Start Accepting Payments
Once verified, Shopify Payments is active immediately. Your store can process credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.
Verification timeline
Most merchants are approved instantly. Shopify does not publish a review time for that identity check. During this period, you can still accept payments — but payouts may be held until verification is complete. Have your business documents ready before starting. See Shopify's onboarding documentation for full requirements. For US merchants this identity check is also where the SSN question comes up — our FAQ on whether Shopify needs your SSN covers who has to provide one and what it's used for. Activation has a second condition that catches people later: Shopify requires two-step authentication on the account to use Shopify Payments, and its account-setup page says payouts might be placed on hold until it is activated — our FAQ on whether Shopify requires two-step authentication covers who that applies to.
How To Setup Shopify Payments (2026) For BeginnersStep-by-step walkthrough of setting up Shopify Payments, configuring payment methods, and activating your first payment processor.
How to Reduce Your Shopify Payments Fees
Key takeaway
Shopify's own help page on the cost of Shopify Payments names one lever on the rate itself — upgrading your plan — and there are several strategies to minimize your total payment processing costs. Every one of them is judged against your real effective rate, not the headline number — and that rate only becomes visible once the fees deducted at settlement are separated out in your books, which our guide on how Shopify sales land in your accounting walks through:
Upgrade When It Pays Off
Calculate the breakeven point
Moving from Basic (2.9%) to Grow (2.7%) costs $66/mo extra but saves 0.2% on transactions. At $33K/month revenue, you save $66 — meaning the upgrade pays for itself. At $50K, you save $34/month net.
Prevent Chargebacks
Each one costs $15 + lost revenue
Use clear product photos, accurate descriptions, and transparent shipping policies. Add tracking to every order. Respond to customer inquiries within 24 hours. A single prevented chargeback saves $15 + the full order value.
Manage International Fees
Use Shopify Markets pricing
Use Shopify Markets to price products in local currencies with your own exchange rate — avoiding the currency conversion fee (1.5% for US stores, 2% in other regions). For high-volume international stores, this can save thousands annually.
Enable Shop Pay
Higher conversion = more revenue
Shop Pay's accelerated checkout reduces abandoned carts and boosts conversion. More completed checkouts mean more revenue per visitor — often more impactful than a 0.2% rate difference.
Plan Upgrade Breakeven Calculator
Upgrade
Extra Cost/mo
Rate Savings
Breakeven Revenue
Basic → Grow
$66/mo
0.2%
$33,000/mo
Grow → Advanced
$294/mo
0.2%
$147,000/mo
Advanced → Plus
$1,901/mo
0.25%
$760,400/mo
Breakeven = additional plan cost ÷ percentage rate reduction. Actual savings vary by order count and average order value. See our full pricing guide for detailed plan comparisons.
Bottom Line: Should You Use Shopify Payments?
Key takeaway
For the vast majority of Shopify merchants, Shopify Payments is the clear choice — cheaper than alternatives, easier to set up, and includes Shop Pay.
No separate accounts, no reconciliation headaches, no third-party surcharges. For merchants selling non-restricted products in supported countries, it's the default choice. Just keep your chargeback rate low and understand the international fees.
Shopify names Stripe as Shopify Payments' banking partner, but Shopify Payments is a separate product managed entirely by Shopify. You don't need a Stripe account to use Shopify Payments — Shopify handles onboarding, payouts, and support. The processors behind Shopify Payments depend on your region: Shopify's help center names Stripe, PayPal and Adyen among them. The key difference: Shopify Payments integrates natively with your store and eliminates third-party transaction fees — and where Shopify Payments is available, Shopify doesn't offer Stripe as a separate gateway you can activate; routing sales through any external gateway instead adds Shopify's 0.2%–2% third-party transaction fee.
Yes, you can offer both Shopify Payments and PayPal as checkout options simultaneously. This is actually recommended — many customers prefer PayPal, especially for higher-value purchases. In the United States, a store using Shopify Payments can add PayPal only through Shopify Payments' PayPal Wallet, not as a separate PayPal Express; Shopify's US pricing page lists PayPal Wallet rates starting at 3.49% + 49¢. Elsewhere, where PayPal Express Checkout is offered, orders paid through it with Shopify Payments active carry PayPal's own processing fees but no Shopify third-party transaction fee. The exemption is for that express method: run PayPal or its Braintree gateway as a full card processor and standard third-party fees apply.
If your Shopify Payments account is suspended, you lose the ability to process payments through the integrated gateway. Your store remains active, and you can switch to a third-party payment provider — such as PayPal or another gateway from Shopify's supported list — to keep selling. Where Shopify Payments is supported, Shopify says Stripe won't be available for you to activate. You'll then be subject to Shopify's third-party transaction fees (0.2%–2%). Common suspension reasons include high chargeback rates, selling prohibited products, or suspicious transaction patterns. You can appeal by contacting Shopify support with documentation.
For US merchants, Shopify says payouts typically arrive within 3 to 5 business days after a customer's payment is captured; the minimum settlement time is 3 business days, and Shopify notes banks typically take 24–72 hours to deposit the funds — go by the expected payout date in your admin. UK and Canada: 3 business days minimum settlement plus bank posting. Shopify publishes no fixed first-payout hold; settlement shortens as you reliably fulfill orders.
Shopify Payments supports recurring billing through Shopify's subscription apps. You'll need a subscription app like Shopify Subscriptions (free), Recharge, or Bold Subscriptions to manage recurring orders. The payment processing fees are the same as standard transactions. Shopify Payments handles the card-on-file tokenization securely, so customers don't need to re-enter payment details for each recurring charge.
Yes, but with additional fees. When a customer uses a card issued outside your country, you'll pay an extra 1% international card fee on top of your standard processing rate. If the transaction also involves currency conversion (e.g., customer pays in EUR, you receive USD), there's an additional currency conversion fee — 1.5% for US-based stores and 2% in other Shopify Payments regions — totaling 2.5% extra for a US store. For high-volume international sellers, these fees can significantly impact margins.
When a customer disputes a charge, Shopify immediately debits the disputed amount plus a $15 fee (the US rate) from your account. You usually have 7–21 days to submit evidence (tracking numbers, communication logs, proof of delivery). Shopify forwards it to the card company, which can take up to 75 days after submission to decide. If you win, both the disputed amount and the fee are returned; if you lose, both are gone. The count is scored separately: Shopify's monitoring-programs page lists a non-compliant dispute-and-fraud ratio of 0.5% and an excessive one of 1.5% (2.2% in Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa) as thresholds for your own store's ratio, while Visa's own fact sheet for its Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) puts the 0.5% level on an acquirer's whole portfolio and the 1.5% level on an individual merchant in AP, Canada, the EU and the US. An extended period of enrollment in VAMP can restrict your use of Shopify Payments.
Yes — and that sentence is about Shopify, not about you. Shopify Payments runs on infrastructure certified PCI DSS Level 1, and card data entered at its checkout is encrypted and tokenized. Shopify's own guide to PCI DSS is explicit that this does not close the merchant's side of it: it lists an annual self-assessment questionnaire at merchant levels 2 through 4, and states that even if you outsource your payment processing, you're still responsible for complying with PCI DSS. What your acquirer asks you to produce depends on your channels and your volume. On a self-hosted platform like WooCommerce the burden is larger again, because the environment itself is yours to secure.
Shopify's pricing page publishes a card rate for every plan, Plus included — in the US, online standard rates run from 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic to 2.25% + 30¢ on Plus — and its help center says you can lower credit card rates by upgrading your plan. No Shopify pricing or Help Center page we read in September 2026 describes negotiating these rates.
Shopify Payments supports payouts in the local currency of each supported country (e.g., USD in the US, GBP in the UK, EUR in eurozone countries). For multi-currency selling, Shopify Payments can present prices in the customer's local currency and handle conversion automatically — though you'll pay a 1.5% currency conversion fee for US-based stores (2% in other Shopify Payments regions). Shopify Markets helps manage multi-currency pricing with manual exchange rates to avoid conversion surprises.
Shopify Payments charges 2.6% + 10¢ in person on Basic. Square Free charges 2.6% + 15¢ with no monthly location fee. Square Plus ($49/month per location) and Premium ($149/month per location) lower Square's rates to 2.5% + 15¢ and 2.4% + 15¢. In-person-first sellers may prefer Square Free; omnichannel merchants may prefer Shopify's unified inventory, customer data, and reporting.
Shopify Payments accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, and Eftpos (in Australia). It also supports digital wallets including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay (Shopify's accelerated checkout). Shop Pay has been shown to increase checkout conversion by up to 50% compared to guest checkout. There's no extra fee for accepting digital wallets, but in the US, Shopify charges its premium online rate on all domestic American Express cards — 3.5% + 30¢ on Basic instead of 2.9% + 30¢.
Front-end developer specializing in Shopify since 2017. Experienced in building custom Liquid themes, optimizing storefront performance, and integrating third-party apps. Directs the editorial process behind Shopify Ecom: sets each topic, and checks facts, links, and interactive elements before publication.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
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